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Pete Cashmore and Mashable

The internet has become a great equalizer – from distinct people wanting to be heard, to minorities seeking better opportunities, to college drop outs trying to find a place under the sun – if you got what it takes, you’ll get that shot. A good example of this would be Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable – one of today’s most popular news blogs, of which particularly discusses technology and social media.

Just last year, CNN was reported to be interested in acquiring Mashable for $200M; the blog which actually started as Cashmore’s 2005 side-project that would document the rise of internet heavyweights such as Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace – the world’s most famous social network back then.

Cashmore who quit college at 19 and ran Mashable from home at Aberdeen, Scotland has again made the world think about the value of education – though he wasn’t and won’t be the last one to send this message. Yet again, has education become irrelevant?

Well, of course not. How could one come up with such undertaking if he didn’t have the necessary education anyway? The point is, “man instinctively does what he really needs”. This is why there are those who also needs a postgraduate degree to advance himself.

In today’s world, the key skill that would take you places is either blogging or coding. However, the unfortunate fact is, not many are interested in coding just as not everyone is articulate enough for blogging.

For Pete Cashmore, the internet was enticing because it was “something I could do in bed and feel like I was achieving something”. While the bed thing may sound “lazy”, the desire to achieve only shows his goal-orientedness, an essential Leadership trait.

This mentality has only kept Mashable in good stead resulting in more followers and accolades including Time’s 25 Best Blogs for 2009, Forbes’ Top 25 Web Celebs, and HuffingtonPost’s Top 10 Game Changers for 2009.

Regardless of the field, blogging has that Leadership aspect in that it initiates, though exhibiting the other areas of Leadership relies on your blog’s focus. Howbeit, evolving blogs into “profitability” depends on the area you focus, your creativity, your plan and execution. So, are you ready for the next step?